Over 46m went abroad in eight years, says PM

Prime Minister and Leader of the House Sheikh Hasina said on Wednesday over 4.6 million (46.79 lakh) Bangladeshi workers went abroad in the last eight years since 2009 as her government has taken many initiatives for creating new labour markets, reports BSS.

"We have declared the overseas employment sector a thrust sector ...the government is working for expanding labour market with the support from Bangladesh embassies/high commissions abroad and the ministry of foreign affairs, " she said while replying to a starred query from treasury bench member M Ayen Uddin (Rajshahi-3) during her question-answer session in the House.

Considering the importance of the sector, she said, the government gave importance to creating new labour markets along with retaining the existing labour markets abroad.

The leader of the House said workers were sent to 97 countries during the BNP-Jamaat rule, but the number now increased to 162.

Spelling out her government's measures for expanding labour markets, Sheikh Hasina said her government set up 29 labour wings at Bangladesh embassies or high commissions, with opening of the latest in Mauritius in October 2016.

In addition to this, she said, a study was conducted on 50 new labour markets including Europe, Australia and Brazil.

The premier said that in February 2015 a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia on recruitment of housemaids for the kingdom.

Besides, she said, due to diplomatic efforts of the government an MoU was also inked in March 2017 for sending technical interns to Japan.

"It has created job opportunity for 'technical interns' in Japan for 5 years instead of 3 years," she added.

Replying to another question she said upgradation of 3,813 kilometres of national highways to four-lane ones was underway.

"We have upgraded Dhaka-Chittagong highway to four-lane for speeding up the country's economy," she said while replying to a starred question from treasury bench member Shamshul Haque Chowdhury from Chittagong-12.

The Prime Minister informed the House that the government undertook zone-based cluster projects to improve quality of 1,179 kilometres of regional highways.

She said the government formulated Procurement Guidelines for Public Private Partnership Projects, 2016 and Guidelines for Unsolicited Proposal, 2016 for strengthening and expediting the PPP activities.

"We have undertaken an initiative to upgrade important railway corridors to double lines along with Dhaka-Chittagong railway corridor. Initiative for constructing a railway bridge parallel to the Bangabandhu Bridge over Jamuna River had already been taken," Sheikh Hasina added.